The armistice was marked at 11.00am on Tuesday 11th November by the elegiac notes of ‘The Last Post’ ringing out across the Park, thanks to Ollie (Year 11).
As is traditional, the school paused all activity for the two-minute silence commemorating the end of World War I on 11th November 1918. It was heartening to see such a crowd gather around the MMC to hear the sound of the trumpet and to share the moment as a community.
Being a Quaker school we remember those who have lost their lives in conflicts across the world. Many students and staff wore the white poppy instead or as well as the more familiar red one. White poppies align with the Quaker testimony of peace and represent a commitment to nonviolent solutions to conflict. As such, they commemorate all victims of war, on and off the battlefield.
Quakers were responsible for the establishment of the Friends’ Ambulance Unit during World War I. The Unit carried out civilian relief work in allied occupied Belgium and supported wounded French soldiers across the Champagne and Argonne regions. In the UK the Unit organised supplies for those in mainland Europe, sent staff to support hospitals in England, and after the introduction of conscription, provided alternative work for conscientious objectors.
John Allinson, Leighton Park’s Archivist, and Charlotte Smith, Old Leightonian, have researched and published a book entitled, ‘Great Ideals: Leighton Park and the First World War’ exploring the lives and deaths of each of the 28 Old Leightonians who perished in the War. This is currently out of print although copies are available to borrow from the Archives. There is also a book about the 1939-1945 conflict called ‘Great Ideals Reaffirmed: Leighton Park and The Second World War’ which is £5.00 plus postage. To find out more about either of these books please contact the Alumni & Archives team.
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